The murder of Stanislav Markelov took place in daytime near the Kropotkin subway station. According to witnesses, the lawyer was shot in the head by a silenced pistol. Anastasia Baburova, an employee of the newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta', who standing next to Markelov at that moment, and tried to apprehend the murderer, but she was also wounded by a bullet to the head. She was hospitalized in critical condition at Municipal Hospital No. 1.

The seriously injured Anastasia Baburova underwent surgery at the intensive care department at Municipal Hospital No. 1. Moscow's top neurosurgeon, Vladimir Krylov, performed all necessary intensive therapy. Physicians did everything in their power, but on Monday night, 'Novaya Gazeta' employee Anastasia Baburova passed away.

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The Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor's Office (SKP-RF) for the Moscow district has confirmed that a preliminary investigation into hostage taking at the theatrical center on Dubrovka, which was suspended in 2007, was resumed, but only temporarily and for technical reasons. At this time it has once again been suspended.

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Where contract killers are the ultimate censors.

As the murders of Russian journalists go unsolved, there are increasing signs that the impunity of Russia's contract killers is not accidental. One reason for the lack of progress may be that the law enforcement organs that are responsible for investigating the murders of Russian journalists are actually involved in carrying them out.

On Dec. 5, at the trial of three men accused in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, Russia's best known investigative reporter, Sergei Sokolov, the deputy editor of Politkovskaya's newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told a packed courtroom that he had information showing that Dzhabrail Makhmudov, one of the accused, was an agent of the FSB, Russia's Federal Security Service, and that the FSB was shadowing Politkovskaya up until her death in October 2006. Novaya Gazeta is carrying out an independent investigation of the case.

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In 2008 the Federal Security Service managed to prevent 97 terrorist attacks, and kill 200 militants and leaders of armed gangs. FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov recounted this during a meeting with journalists on the 'Security Service Officer Day' holiday, reported RIA 'Novosti'. Bortnikov said that nearly 900 persons had been convicted of the crimes of terrorism and extremism. 23 members of the international terrorist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir were sentenced to various prison terms, and 5 activists from the Islamic Party of Turkestan radical group where detained and extradited.

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